Usam – MHB: “There was a bit of blood, torn jerseys”, “We were in the mood for a derby”… the post-match reactions

Just after the victory of the MHB against Usam in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France at Parnasse (28-22), Montpellier and Nîmes reacted to this eventful derby between the two teams, Tuesday, December 10.

Nîmes

David Degouy, coach of Usam Nîmes:“I am very happy with the fight that the whole team led. Very happy with the state of mind. For me, we were in the state of mind of a derby, of what a derby should be. It was really very good. Everyone did the job in defense. Be in goal. On the bench, everyone was there. For me, the group was there. We didn't leave anyone behind. When I have one of my players who gets pushed, I have one of my players who comes to defend him. We saw a team, a state of mind. For me, that was the most important thing. I am very satisfied with this total commitment of the players. I want to congratulate them for that.

Read also: Usam – MHB: Montpellier eliminates a tenacious Nîmes at Parnasse and continues the adventure in the Coupe de France

What was missing ? We only scored 22 goals. We put in a very good defensive performance. We took 2-3 counterattacks at the end. We were very present in the set attack. We recovered many balls in passive play. When Hesham, the Egyptian international, comes out of his box at the end… We can also talk about Valentin Porte. We can ask the question, like me, why it is difficult to score against Montpellier… There is only Karl Konan and two French team goalkeepers, plus all the rest.

We fought with our weapons today. We maybe lacked a bit of long-range shooting to compete. Now, on the state of mind, the fast game, the combativeness, the retreats… We saw actions worthy of a derby, of a Coupe de France. I am very satisfied. I hope we can invest in that.

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Luc Tobie, right back of Usam Nîmes:“We're leaving frustrated. I think we deserve better than a six-goal deficit. The final score doesn't reflect the game. For a while, they were scared. We made a few mistakes. They had 2-3 refereeing decisions that allowed us to win. We're disgusted. I think we deserve better. We've been better for a few games. We're playing well, we're letting each other go. In defense, we're together and the goalkeepers are making the saves. It's frustrating because we wanted to go far in this Coupe de France.

What made the difference? Keeping a cool head. I missed a six-meter shot on Debs that hurt because we could have tied the game. It's true that it's the small balls, the quick shots, and then the counterattacks direct shots that we take that hurt us and that allow us to believe that they can win this match. We believed from the beginning to the end.”

Montpellier

Erick Mathé, coach of MHB:“It wasn't a gift to play this round of 16 in Nîmes. We knew it would be a tough task. They haven't had a good start to the season, they've been getting back on track for the last two or three games… So they were on that dynamic. You could say there was the testosterone of the derbies and the knockout matches of the Coupe de France. All these ingredients that also led to a bit of messy stuff.

We managed to keep a cool head, especially in the second half. I think it was good to show some character in the first half. We got a bit lost at times. In the second half, we played a bit more with our heads. We managed, little by little, to tire them out, to exhaust them and to find clearer solutions. I'm happy with our defense too, because it doesn't concede many goals. On that note, we can travel when it's like that.”

Valentin Porte, captain of the MHB:“My general opinion is that there is obviously a lot of satisfaction and joy in winning a match in the Coupe de France, in Nîmes, in a derby. Very happy also to have played a real derby again. I've been playing them for a while and it's been a while since I felt that. This mixture of tension, a bit of anger, what makes a real derby. There was a bit of blood, torn jerseys, two minutes, a red card.

We explained ourselves on the pitch, sometimes a little too much. But in the end, we slap each other on the hand, a little on the back, a little hard. But that's part of the thing and it's been a while since I've experienced it. And winning a derby like that, with this intensity, it's always pleasure.

The score is a bit heavy, perhaps. Because, really, it could have gone either way. At one point, we had 4-plus balls. They came back to 18-17 and a 18-18 ball, I think. That could have changed. Once again, I congratulate Nîmes. Despite the difficult phase they are going through, even if they have had two victories in a row in the championship, tonight, they showed that they had resources.”

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